WWE Clash of Champions 2019 predictions: The fun is over

Shinsuke Nakamura (c) (w/Sami Zayn) vs. The Miz [IC Championship]

It is true that with great power comes great responsibility. It is also true that with great mastery comes great artistry, as Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn have come to understand and appreciate in recent weeks.

After dethroning Finn Balor for the Intercontinental Championship at Extreme Rules in July, Shinsuke Nakamura has been defending his championship against the likes of Apollo Crews and Ali from SmackDown Live. Now, the King of Strong Style crosses paths with the King of Soft Style from Raw.

Nakamura is the King of Strong Style because he approaches professional wrestling as if it was a combat sport. More specifically, he uses martial arts tactics to take out his opponent while focusing on swift strikes and submissions.

Meanwhile, The Miz is the King of Soft Style because he approaches professional wrestling as if it’s a cat and mouse game. He is the mouse trying to capture the cheese that he made delicious, just like he is trying to capture the Intercontinental Championship that he made prestigious.

The Miz is essentially Jerry from the cartoon “Tom and Jerry” because he has been working smart and using his mind rather than his strength to nefariously win championships his entire career.

As a heel, that mind set worked perfectly; now that he is a babyface, it doesn’t work too well anymore and has therefore resulted in him losing plenty matches lately.

Speaking of losing plenty matches lately, Sami Zayn had been subjected to this misfortune, and thereby snapped when he was eliminated from the King of the Ring Tournament by Cedric Alexander. The Miz then hosted a Miz TV segment two weeks ago on SmackDown Live to question Zayn’s state of mind.

Zayn, who is truly a master at his promos, then revealed that he will be taking a more altruistic approach to his career by becoming the spokesperson for Nakamura, who proceeded to attack The Miz and start a feud.

Now that The Miz was eliminated from the King of the Ring Tournament by Baron Corbin, he’s free to battle Nakamura for the Intercontinental Championship at Clash of Champions.

Nakamura should be the safe bet to retain the Intercontinental Championship because his new artistic alliance with Zayn must gain momentum in order to come to fruition at some point down the line.

Hopefully, this momentum will lead to an NXT Takeover: Dallas 2016 throwback match between Zayn and Nakamura. Only time will tell, but the stakes would be even higher with the two masterful artists fighting for the Intercontinental Championship sooner rather than later.

Prediction: Shinsuke Nakamura